Williams' streak is over

Lisicki puts an end to 34-match skein with strong play in third set

Associated Press

Associated Press

Updated 6:51 am, Tuesday, July 2, 2013

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Serena Williams of United States of America plays a backhand during her Ladies' Singles fourth round match against Sabine Lisicki of Germany on day seven of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 1, 2013 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) ORG XMIT: 168810652
Photo: Mike Hewitt

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Serena Williams of United States of...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany returns to Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM189
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany returns to Serena Williams of the United...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany returns to Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM159
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany returns to Serena Williams of the United...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany returns to Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM145
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany returns to Serena Williams of the United...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany serves to Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM130
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany serves to Serena Williams of the United...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany serves to Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM131
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany serves to Serena Williams of the United...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany reacts after beating Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM301
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany reacts after beating Serena Williams of...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates after beating Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM198
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates after beating Serena Williams...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates after beating Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM197
Photo: Alastair Grant

Sabine Lisicki of Germany celebrates after beating Serena Williams...

Serena Williams of the United States reacts as she plays Sabine Lisicki of Germany in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM190
Photo: Alastair Grant

Serena Williams of the United States reacts as she plays Sabine...

Serena Williams of the United States returns to Sabine Lisicki of Germany in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM191
Photo: Alastair Grant

Serena Williams of the United States returns to Sabine Lisicki of...

Serena Williams of the United States serves to Sabine Lisicki of Germany during a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM178
Photo: Alastair Grant

Serena Williams of the United States serves to Sabine Lisicki of...

Serena Williams of the United States returns to Sabine Lisicki of Germany during a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM157
Photo: Alastair Grant

Serena Williams of the United States returns to Sabine Lisicki of...

Sabine Lisicki of Germany reacts as she plays Serena Williams of the United States in a Women's singles match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships in Wimbledon, London, Monday, July 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant) ORG XMIT: WIM160
Photo: Alastair Grant

Serena Williams joined a growing list of marquee names eliminated early at this wild and unpredictable Wimbledon.

The defending champion and five-time Wimbledon winner failed to close out a seesaw third set Monday, dropping the last four games to Sabine Lisicki of Germany and losing 6-2, 1-6, 6-4 in the fourth round. The result ended Williams' career-best 34-match winning streak.

"I probably couldn't be more disappointed," Williams said. "I think I may have backed off of a success. I was playing something successful. I didn't continue that path. The result didn't go the way it could have gone had I continued to play the way I did in the second set."

Those two stayed on course for a meeting in the final by winning in straight sets on Centre Court. Djokovic ousted German veteran Tommy Haas after Murray beat Mikhail Youzhny of Russia. Neither player has dropped a set en route to the quarters.

Williams hadn't either before this match. But after dropping the first against Lisicki, she won nine straight games to lead 3-0 in the third. The players then traded breaks to give Williams a 4-2 lead, but the American couldn't win another game despite having four break points at 4-3.

Lisicki converted her second match point with a forehand winner.

"I'm still shaking," Lisicki said in a postmatch interview, covering her face with her hands to wipe away tears. "I'm just so happy."

Williams said her serve — usually her main weapon — let her down in the third set.

"I felt that I was on the verge of winning," she said. "At that point I just was physically unable to hold serve. ... You have to be ready and willing to hold your serve. I wasn't willing or able, probably didn't even want to hold my serve today."

Lisicki reached the semifinals at the All England Club in 2011 but this will rank as her biggest victory at the grass-court Grand Slam. She has eliminated the reigning French Open champion the past four times she played Wimbledon, having missed the tournament in 2010. She ousted Sharapova in the fourth round last year.

Djokovic reached his 17th straight Grand Slam quarterfinal by beating Haas 6-1, 6-4, 7-6 (4). He failed to serve out the match at 5-3 in the third and wasted a match point in the next game before closing out the tiebreaker with a forehand winner on his fourth match point.

Murray, facing the ever-increasing pressure to become the first British man since 1936 to win Wimbledon, was in trouble in the second set. He trailed 5-2 against Youzhny, but rallied to win the set in a tiebreaker. He broke immediately in the third, and cruised from there to set up a match with Fernando Verdasco of Spain.